Lane Community College (LCC) has a very successful Track and Field and Cross-Country programs, led by an experienced college coach. The programs have been quite successful and expanded in recent years, along with the coach’s responsibilities and workload. The collective bargaining agreement between LCC and the Lane Community College Education Association contains a provision allowing […]
Category: Labor Law
Arbitrator Rules that Educational Service District Violated the Contract by Failing to Treat Travel Time as Work Time
The Linn-Benton-Lincoln Education Service District provides services to 12 school districts across three counties. The majority of its certified employees are itinerant, providing services at various schools within the ESD. Most are headquartered in Albany. Travel time to school sites ranges from 15 minutes from headquarters to 2 hours away. Under past practice, travel time […]
Arbitrator Rules that College Violated Contract Complaint Procedures
As part of his union duties, the Lane Community College Education Association (LCCEA) President sat on several College Councils, including the Diversity Council. In 2013 and early 2014 the Diversity Council was working on a cultural diversity training program which proposed required training for all LCCEA Faculty. The LCCEA president objected to the imposition of […]
Retired Fire Fighters Win Increased Pension Benefits
Portland Fire Fighters are covered by the Portland Fire & Police Disability & Retirement (FPDR) Fund. The pension benefits of fire fighters who retired under an old FPDR pension system known as “FPDR One” were calculated based on current top step fire fighter base wages. After the Portland Fire Fighters Association negotiated an “apparatus operator” […]
Teacher Order Reinstated with Back Pay
The District sought to dismiss a special education teacher for poor performance and neglect of duty. Although she had always received excellent evaluations, the District placed her on a plan of assistance in December, based largely on concerns regarding her effectiveness managing two severely behaviorally challenged students during that school year. Before the plan started, […]
Board finds School District Engaged in Unfair Labor Practice By Failing to Restore School Days and Compensation
When the Medford School District received additional funding from the State but did not use that funding to restore school days and compensation in accordance with a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) it had entered into with the Medford Education Association, the Association filed an unfair labor practice complaint with the Employment Relations Board. Aruna Masih […]
Contract Settled, Strike Averted
Security officers unit under ILWU contract issued a 10-day strike notice during the 30-day cooling-off period following final offers. The employer filed unfair labor practice charges and a petition to declare the strike unlawful with the Employment Relations Board, and a petition for an injunction against the strike in the Multnomah County Circuit Court, providing […]
In Case of First Impression, Arbitrator Finds District Overreached in Labeling Teacher’s Inappropriate Statements as “Sexual Conduct”
A school district determined that a teacher had engaged in “sexual conduct” within the meaning of ORS 339.370 based on comments he made about the meaning of song lyrics to his 7th grade choir. Essentially, when asked, the educator told the girls that teenage boys are often insincere and just want to have sex. The […]
Retiree Health Insurance Benefits Protected
Employees who had taken a leave of absence and not maintained health insurance through the employer were denied early retirement health insurance benefits after retirement. The union pursued a group grievance under the early retirement benefits section of collective bargaining agreement, arguing that the employees were entitled to benefits based on years of service and the […]
Arbitrator Requires City to Reinstate Fire and Police Pension Reversion Benefits
The City of Portland Fire and Police Retirement Fund had a rule which provided that when an alternate payee (such as an ex-spouse) died before the retiree, the alternate payee’s payments would revert to the retiree. The Board of the pension fund eliminated the reversion benefit, and the Portland Police Commanding Officers Association filed a […]